Cotton-picking apparatus.



No. 777.897. PATENTED DEC..20, 1904.

' B. R. HEYWARD.

COTTON PIGKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 27, 1903.

NO MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED DEC. 20, 1904.

B. R. HEYWARD. COTTON PIOKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SKEET 2.

NO MODEL Patented December 20, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE,

BARNWELL RHETT HEYWARD, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

COTTON-PICKING APPARATUS- SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,897, dated December 20, 1904.

Application filed March 27,1903. Serial No. 149,799,

To (20% whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BARNWELL RHETT HEY- WARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Picking Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to cotton-harvesting apparatus in which air-suction is caused to draw the cotton off the plant into a selective handle or tube and through a hose and deposit it in any desired receptacle adapted to be moved with the apparatus about the cotton-field.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of my apparatus; Fig. 2, an end view thereof; Fig. 3, Sheet 2, a side elevation of a selective tube; Fig. 4, Sheet 2, a similar view of that tube broken away at the elbow to show the operation of the damper; Fig. 5, a sectional view of the suction device, showing the cushioning; Fig. 6, a longitudinal sectional view of the hose; Fig.7, a vertical sectional view of the preferred form of selective I use with my device; Fig. 8, an enlarged end view of my device for producing a resilient compressor-roll and an end View of the meshing with gear 5', which operates the rollers 6 which are used to condense the cotton after it is picked. Connected with the fans 4 are pipes 7 7 having revoluble elbows 8 8, to which are operatively connected the hose 9,

which is formed of a coiled spring 23, loosely covered bya fabric 24, in order that the hose as a whole may be elongated at will and close or shorten automatically. To the hose is operatively attached the selective tube 10, having its free end closed, as seen at 28, and having an opening in its wall 27, formingamouth through which the cotton enters. The suction device 4 has its interior cushioned, as seen at 25, with felt or other soft material, so that when the cotton, with its seed, passes through the suction device it will not be hulled or otherwise damaged. The journal 6* of the right-hand roller is set inaspring journal-box so as to allow of the two rollers coming together and receding by means of the spring 6 which is described as follows, to wit: The journal 6* has a movable block or yoke 6, with a U-shaped opening in one end, and a spring 6 which presses the journal and roller longitudinally and against the other roll, and when aseed or bunch of seeds comes between the rolls the tension of the spring is such as to allow the movable roll to recede from the other and allow the cotton-seed to pass without crushing them, the hopper 6 being used to catch the falling cotton, the pressure of the spring being sufficient to press the cotton passing between the rollers sufficient to condense it, and thus allow of the wire box 2 carrying more than it otherwise could.

In Fig. 3, 10 shows another form of selective tube from that shown in Figs. 1 and 7 in having an elbow with a slot 15 and a damper 16, the damper partly encircling the tube 10 and held thereto movably by the pin 18, located in the slot 17, the damper having an actuating rod or handle 22 movable in an eye 21 and passing through the spring 20 and having a pin or stop 20 arranged to compress the spring when the handle or rod 22 is drawn downward. A catch or stop 19 engages with a notch in the rod 22 and secures the rod when drawn down, as seen in Fig. 3. When it is desired to have the tube 10 open, the damper is secured, as seen in Fig. 3, as follows: The rod 22 is drawn, causing the pin 20' to compress the spring and draw the damper 16 out of the slot 15 and assume the position shown in Fig. 3. The tube 10 is now open ready to receive the cotton drawn into it by the air-suction. When it is desired to close the tube 10, the rod 22 is swung to one side until it is clear of pin or stop 19, when the spring 20 will force the damper into slot 15 and against the top inner surface of the elbow, when the tube will be closed, shutting off all entrance of air or cotton, and this is done so that when one of the tubes 10 is not in actual use the suction in it may be cut off and that in the other tubes augmented by the amount of force that would be Wasted in a tube not in actual use picking cotton. In this manner I am enabled to use more or a greater number of hose 9 and selective tubes 10 on a single apparatus than I otherwise could.

In Fig. 6 the numeral 24 represents the fabric covering the spring 23, which fabric is loosely arranged somewhat like the folds in a bellows, and when the spring 23 is elongated the bellows-like folds in the fabric draw out, and thus allow of considerable elongation of the hose as a whole, and when the strain put upon the hose as a whole and which elongates it is removed the hose contracts and shortens and is thus kept from dragging on the ground and over the plants.

The selective tube shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 1 has the opening 27 through one of its side walls, as is shown in Fig. 7. This is an improvement over end openings and elbows in such tubes, for the reason that the mouth 27 may be brought to the cotton-boll no matter how located on the plant, either on top, bot tom, sides, or among the stems and leaves, with the least opposition therefrom, and while I claim this tube in this application only as in connection with the apparatus as a whole I reserve the right to hereafter make application for a patent thereon separately, as I also do upon those shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In Fig. 9 I show one way of gearing the gear 6 to the gear-wheel 5, and the journal 6", with its roll turning by friction only and set in spring-box 6, will operate to draw the cotton between the rolls, and in Fig. 1, it will be seen, the left-hand roll 6 alone is geared to the gear-wheel 5, the journal 6* having no gear and running by friction only, the two rolls being set practically directly under the center of the large gear-wheel 5, while in Fig. 9 journal 6" sits to one side of it. Either manner of setting may be adopted as may be deemed best.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The gear-wheel 5 being revolved by means of the handle or by any other means desired, the small gear 11 is also revolved and revolves shaft 4 and the blades of the fans 4, and at the same time the small gear 5 is revolved,

. which revolves the rollers 6 of the condenser. The fans produce a suction in the hose 9 9 and selective tubes 10, and as the mouths of the selective tubes are applied to the cotton hanging on the plants it is drawn into the tubes 10 and through hose 9 into fans t and out of them and is discharged upon the condensing-rollers 6" and passes between them, and as they operate in spring-boxes the seeds pass through or between the rollers without being crushed or damaged, while the fleecy cotton is condensed and drops into the wire basket 2. As the interior of the fans 4 are cushioned with felt or other like material, as seen at 25, the cotton-seed is not damaged. The elbows 8' 8 being revoluble on the pipes 7 7 can be swung around so as to allow of the hose 9 9 being directed in any and all directions.

In Fig. 9 it will be seen that the small gear 6" on the end of the journal of the roll 6 meshes with the large gear-wheel 5 and is revolved by the gear 5, which revolves the righthand roll 6 by friction only, the gear 6 and gear 5 being shown in conventional form only, the small gear-wheel 6 being carried on the journal 6".

Having described my inventionso that those skilled in the art to which it appertains may know how to make and use the same, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a cotton-harvesting apparatus, a cushioned suction device; a hose in operative connection therewith; a selective tube in operative connection with the hose and means for operating the suction device, all operating to draw the cotton from the boll and through the hose and suction device and prevent damage to the seeds in the cotton substantially as described.

2. In acotton-harvesting apparatus a suction device; a resilient spring loosely covered with a fabric forming an extensible and automatically-contracting tube or hose in operative connection with the suction device; a selective tube having an opening through its side wall forming a mouth therefor, in operative connection with the said hose and means for operating the suction device substantially as described.

3. In a cotton-harvesting apparatus a suction device; a tube or hose in operative connection with the said suction device; a selective tube having an opening in its side wall forming a mouth thereto through which the cotton may be drawn by the suction, in operative connection with the said hose, and means for operating the suction device substantially as described.

l. In a cotton-harvesting apparatus a cushioned suction device; a resilient spring loosely covered with a fabric forming an extensible and automatically-contracting tube or hose in operative connection with the suction device; a selective tube having an opening through its side wall forming a receiving-mouth therein into which the cotton can be drawn in operative connection with the said hose; condensing-rolls arranged to receive the seed-cotton with; a selective tube in operative connection with the hose; a condensing apparatus arranged to receive the cotton and condense the same and means for operating the suction device and condenser, the selective tube having a damper therein arranged to be opened and closed at Will substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BARNWELL RHETT HEYWARI). Witnesses:

A. M. TURNER, E. (J. FASOLDT. 

